Brazil's teen stars often return home, unable to cope with success so early

Sunday

Oct 31, 2010 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2010 at 9:42 AM

SAO PAULO -- Hat tipped backward, thick silver chain dangling around his neck, Andrigo talks breezily about his brilliant future in European soccer, where riches and all manner of off-field delights await.

SAO PAULO - Hat tipped backward, thick silver chain dangling around his neck, Andrigo talks breezily about his brilliant future in European soccer, where riches and all manner of off-field delights await.

He could ply his trade for teams such as Barcelona, Manchester United or Inter Milan, dazzling European fans with the brilliant footwork that is virtually seen as a Brazilian birthright.

Never mind that Andrigo is just a pimply faced 15-year-old. He's already orchestrating his multimillionaire future while his peers navigate first dates and master the latest video games.

Andrigo's situation is increasingly common among Brazil's soccer prodigies - being handed the world before passing through puberty.

For teens such as Andrigo, personal growth isn't all that's jeopardized by leapfrogging childhood. Their development as players can also suffer, derailing their careers and possibly costing Brazil - which has won more World Cups than any other nation and hosts soccer's marquee event in 2014 - a future star.

Psychologists and other experts say many will not be able to cope with the pressure of having to succeed so early in life, increasing the chances that off-field problems will affect their performances before they have a chance to deliver on their athletic potential, as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Kaka did.

"These kids sign huge deals, but most of the time they can't keep up to the expectations that come along with these multimillion-dollar transactions," said sports psychologist Joao Ricardo Cozac, president of a sports psychology association in Sao Paulo. "If they are not prepared emotionally, they won't be able to perform as well as they did when they signed the deals and ultimately will fail and return to Brazil earlier than expected."

For years, European teams have craved Brazil's talented players, flocking to the soccer-mad nation looking for the next wonder kid.

More and more Brazilian youngsters, often from poor backgrounds, are looking to cash in by jumping at the opportunity to play in Europe, no matter the cost to their social development and family life.

But many fail to adapt to being away from home. About 1,000 Brazilian players leave to play abroad every year, but in 2009 alone more than 700 returned to Brazil, according to the country's soccer federation.

Midfielder Rodrigo Possebon was one of the players whose career didn't take off after an early move to Europe. He signed with Manchester United as a promising 17-year-old, but was unable to establish himself with the English team and now is back with the Brazilian club Santos, where he is not even a regular in the reserve squad.

Possebon, now 21, said the lack of a family structure abroad unquestionably plays a role in the performance of young players, but he thinks it's a risk worth taking.

"It's not easy to be away from your friends and from your family, to have to adapt to a different culture, to a different weather," he said. "But I don't think any teenager would reject an offer like the one I got, to play for Manchester United, so I would definitely do it again. It was a good experience."

Experts say that youngsters have better chances of succeeding if they remain in Brazil as long as possible, near their families, friends and culture.

Brazilian club Internacional signed a pre-contract with Andrigo, but the agreement doesn't guarantee that he will stay in Brazil for much longer. Team directors say it's difficult to hold on to young players promised the good life abroad.

"Sometimes it's hard to contain the anxiety and the expectations of the kid and his family," said Internacional club director Bernardo Stein, who is in charge of the team's youth squads. "We have many cases of kids who leave and then after a year or so they are back asking if they can play for us again."

The goal for Andrigo and others like him has been to try to sign deals with clubs abroad but stay in Brazil until they turn 18, the age at which FIFA removes certain restrictions on international transfers and players are better prepared to handle life away from home.

This was the case of playmaker Philippe Coutinho, who reached a deal with Inter Milan when he was 16 but stayed with Brazil's Vasco da Gama for two years before moving to Europe. Coutinho's patience paid off and he is now a regular on Brazil's national team.

"It varies from player to player, but in general, they have better chances to keep playing well if they stay longer in Brazil," said Rodrigo Falcao, another Brazilian sports psychologist.

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